Recently Tone Audio magazine's publisher Jeff Dorgay contacted me about reviewing one of our phono stage step up transformers (ZMC1). Tone Audio is one of the more well done review magazines I've seen, with a strong appeal to the upper end of hi-fi.

In that world surrounded by five and six figure audio gear I thought it would be a ballsy move to submit our lowest priced amplifier to be reviewed in the same context.

It was the center piece of a 100,000.00 system and you can read how it faired below:

I could not convince a single person at work that this old "Deafened" hard rock dawg uses about four or five watts (via twin Zens) on his best system at home, until I brought my amps to work and set them up in the showroom before opening time one day. I powered all the "best speakers" we offer to fairly respectable levels (more than enough power for all but the hybrid electrostatics from Martin Logan), considering they mostly average in the 87dB range for efficiency.

We have some stupidly priced speakers for sale in our BB store, but the best sounding speakers in the house are the Klipsch Energy series, honestly. After listening to the Energy speakers with my twin Zens, all the fancy schmancy "beautiful furniture" speakers sound like they have a cold or at least a worsening sinus infection along with some possible pulmonary issues, as yet undiagnosed.

If you do not need to experience over 100dB today, I will put my little treasures up against five or seven hundred watt receivers we sell (costing three or four times as much) for sheer clarity and weight. TRUE!

You know, its odd. I'm sitting here listening to the new Panda Bear album "Tomboy" (highly recommended btw) on my SE84C+ while reading through a discussion on "rock the house" being different for different people. I have the amp at about 50% and I wouldn't hear the phone ring. I wouldn't hear a car horn.

This comment on deafening levels... I just don't get it. I don't have a way to measure the db's, but I can tell you that it is LOUD AS SHIT! And beautiful!

Many/most people buy with their eyes, not their ears. "More power is better, right?"Either they play their music at levels that would break glass, and eardrums, or the specs & numbers are what really counts for them.A couple of watts with the appropriate speakers is plenty for most of us!How often have you listened to someone else's system, where straightaway the volume knob is given an almighty twist so as to show the "capabilities" of said system?YMMV, of course.Best, Don